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CINEMALAYA 2017 FINALISTS NAMED

THE ten finalists for Cinemalaya 2017 were announced at the Cinemalaya 2016 Awards night held on August 14 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The finalists for the full length feature are:
· BAGAHE (The Baggage) by Zig Dulay. An OFW escapes from her rapist boss and dumps her fetus at the comfort room of an airplane hoping to go back to the Philippines and be with her family.
· ANG PAMILYANG HINDI LUMULUHA by Mes de Guzman. A woman is desperate to bring back her husband and her children, but only a popular “family without tears” can restore her hopes to rebuild her own family.)

· UNANG PATAK NG ULAN SA BUWAN NG MAYO (The First Drop of Rain in the Month of May) by Cenon Obispo Palomares. Twelve-year-old Bobong falls in love for the first time – with Perla Sirena, a perya mermaid. But as he transitions to manhood, his small farming village is also going through spiritual and moral crises. May is almost over yet not a single drop of rain has fallen on their parched land. And as everyone gets sick, thirsty, and desperate, Bobong discovers their dark secrets and witnesses how low desperate people could go.

· LOLA IGNA by Eduardo Roy, Jr. Life is what you celebrate. All of it. Even its end – Joanne Harris One death. One title. One decision that will change everything.

· ANG GURO KONG DI MARUNONG MAGBASA (My Teacher Who Doesn’t Know How To Read) by Perry Escano. “In this barrio, the number of child warrior grows when their illiterate teacher disappears and education is ignored”.

· PACBOY by Thop Nazareno. This is the story of Kiko, an 11-year old boy, who was looking for the world famous Filipino boxing champion, Manny Pacquiao, the man he thinks is his father, but instead finds a has-been boxer, George, who became a father figure to him at a time when he needed a father to look up to.

· NABUBULOK by Sonny Calvento. Luna is missing. Jason Harper, her American husband, is alleged of killing her. As Jason intends to leave the country, circumstances conspire to avert his plan.

· REQUITED by Nerissa Picadizo. A dramatic biking love story with splashes of adventure. “Requited” is about a disease-stricken biker who wants to conquer a treacherous terrain on one final adventure that pitted him against nature and the woman he desires.

· RESPETO by Treb Monteras II. An amateur young hiphop rapper and a grumpy veteran poet cross paths during a stand-off between riot police and squatters. Both are compelled to interact and deal with each other’s problems, healing the wounds of the past and having a new perspective on writing their respective verses.

. BACONAUA by Joseph Israel Laban. After a particularly strong squall, a sleepy fishing village in a tiny island in Southern Tagalog wakes up to an astonishing sight – their sea has turned red. Floating on their waters are thousands of apples. No one knows where it came from. Some see it as a bad omen from the baconaua – a creature of myth. A few think it’s a miracle from heaven. While others fear a more sinister source.

The finalists each received a Php750,000 production grant from the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Cinemalaya Foundation.

Cinemalaya, which recently held its 12th edition on August 5-14 at the CCP and Ayala Theaters in Cebu, Solenad, Nuvali, Glorietta, Greenbelt, TriNoma, UP Town Center and Fairview Terraces, has supported and promoted the production of 127 full feature independent films and 106 short films. Many of these films have won awards in local and international competitions and festivals. Through the annual festival, Cinemalaya has showcased over 1,000 works by independent filmmakers including full feature films, shorts, documentaries, Filipino film classics, and art films.

Cinemalaya is a project of the Cinemalaya Foundation, the Cultural Center of the Philippines in partnership with Ayala Malls Cinemas. Established in 2005, Cinemalaya is an all-digital film festival and competition that aims to discover, encourage and honor cinematic works of Filipino filmmakers.

The 13th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival will be held on August 4-13, 2017.